


The Will to Live

by alfing



Category: One Piece
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst, LuLaw, M/M, Sharing a Bed, Sickfic, White Lead Disease, poor law
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 15:16:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10363356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alfing/pseuds/alfing
Summary: Dreams of the past and a bad fever brings Law to ask Luffy a surprising question.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Yikes, so my first lulaw/lawlu fic. This turned out to be a bit sadder than I planned so I hope you all can enjoy it!

“We don’t want that monster in our hospital!”

It was the same every single time.

“The White Lead Disease? Quick, someone call security-”

Every hospital they went to reacted the same way.

“Get out of here, you monster!”

 _I’m not a monster_ , he would think in the safety of the night, curled in his blanket by the fire. Anger and frustration was etched into his brows as he stifled his cries. As days turned to months and months into years, his disease only grew worse. Soon you could no longer tell the difference between his true skin and the effects of the White Lead Disease.

“Just a little longer, Law,” that kind voice would say. “Just bear with it a little longer, I’m sure there will be a good doctor on the next island...” They both knew that no one would help him, that those fake doctors would only shun him, would only call him a monster. At this point, they were desperate, time was running out.

“Cora-san, it’s no use,” he said one day. “No one can cure me. I’m just going to die.”

The giant man gave him a sad expression, crushed that those words came from the mouth of a poor child. There was a moment where neither one of them said anything. A harsh cough from the boy startled Rosinante and he rushed to the boy’s side. Pressing his hand to Law’s forehead, he checked his temperature. He had a high fever. Cursing under his breath, he tightened the blanket around the child and searched their luggage for a cloth. Behind him, Law watched with hooded eyes, the bags underneath them darkening from illness. Corazon returned with a damp, cool cloth and draped it over the boy’s forehead. They had no medicine so all he could do was hope that Law would get better soon.

“Don’t die,” he whispered. Law looked up at the man with sunken eyes and slowly closed them as he fell asleep.

 

He awoke and found himself in a different location. Where was he? He felt a sway and realized he was on the ocean. That’s right, he was traveling with the Straw Hats. Law rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and was surprised when he felt that they were wet. He frowned as he attempted to push away the memories of his dream to the back of his mind. A loud clamour from the deck shook him from his reverie. Law stood and shifted his _Kikoku_ on his shoulder. Exiting the men’s quarters of the ship, the light from the sun temporarily blinded him as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. But soon he was encased in darkness again as he received a faceful of rubber.

“ _Torao_!” cried the Straw Hats’ captain as he tackled the older man. “You’re finally awake! Now we can play a game together!”

Law grunted in annoyance and attempted to push Luffy off of him. “ _Mugiwara_ -ya, I am not interested in playing any games with you. We need to focus on taking down Doflamingo,” he insisted. The younger captain made a face and refused to release him. “ _Please_ let me go.”

“Play with me, _Torao_! Just one game, please! I promise I won’t ask you again,” he assured, giving him a pleading look.

It was in that moment that Law realized that he had completely lost control of his life.

“Fine, just one game,” came the resigned reply. Luffy cheered and dragged the surgeon to the center of the deck. “We have enough players now! _Torao_ is on my team!” the rubber-man exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

“That isn’t fair, Luffy! You already have Chopper on your team! Let us have someone with medical knowledge, too!” Usopp complained, booing at his captain.

“Then Chopper can be on your team, I don’t mind,” Luffy complied.

Chopper flailed his arms in protest. “But what about me? Don’t I get a say in this?” the reindeer doctor cried.

“ _Shishishi_! You don’t mind being on Usopp’s team, do you?” he laughed. Chopper shook his head and happily bounced to the other side of the deck. The teams were: Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Law on Luffy’s side; Chopper, Brook, Nami, and Franky on Usopp’s side. The two groups stood idly as Franky set up a net. “What exactly are we playing?” Law thought to ask, standing beside Luffy as they set up the game.

“It’s called volleyball,” Robin explained. “You hit a ball over the net and make sure it doesn’t land on your side. Nami and I were discussing it when Luffy overheard. He only ever listens if there is something fun involved.”

“Alright, the net is all set!” Franky called, tugging it to assure its security. “Let’s play some ball!” The teams assumed their respective sides and it began with Nami serving on Usopp’s team. The ball flew over the net nicely but was returned with a set from Robin. Law watched with disinterest, wanting to pick up his _Kikoku_ from where he was forced to place it in the grass. Sanji kicked the volleyball over the net when Brook hit to their side. A point was given to Luffy’s team. “Alright! Great job, Sanji!” Luffy cheered. The next round began with Robin serving. Law grew bored of the exchange and began to walk off the court when the shadow passed over him.

“Watch out, _Torao_ !” someone warned. The surgeon was quick to act and managed to dodge the flying object when suddenly everything became a haze. He staggered and fell to his side, hat falling from his head. Luffy ran to him, oblivious to the situation. “ _Shishishi_ , that was a close one, _Torao_ ! Good thing you dodged it!” he laughed. In the background, Nami was scolding Franky for using such a powerful attack on the ball, claiming that he could of have killed their ally. When Law didn’t respond, Luffy frowned and crouched beside him. “ _Torao_? Are you okay?”

Law was breathing heavily and his face was contorted in pain. The Straw Hats’ captain placed a clammy hand on the surgeon’s forehead but immediately retracted his hand as if he had been burned. “Oi, _Torao_! You’re burning up!” he turned Law so that he was laying on his back. Sweat covered his brow and his face was flushed. “Hey, stay with me!” Chopper heard his captain’s distress and hobbled over to him. His speed increased when he saw that Law was lying unconscious on the ground. “Luffy! What happened?”

“He just collapsed! I think he’s sick,” was his answer. The reindeer doctor was quick to check his temperature. “This is bad,” Chopper said seriously. “He has a really bad fever. Luffy, could you carry him to the infirmary? Try not to move him around too much, it might make him nauseous.” The rubber-man nodded and lifted Law up bridal style and followed Chopper up the stairs. The rest of the crew merely watched with concern.

“I wonder what caused him to get sick like that,” Nami said worriedly. “He seemed fine a few moments ago.”

In the infirmary, Luffy had placed Law on the bed and covered him with a blanket per Chopper’s instructions. The reindeer doctor handed a bowl of cold water and a cloth to Luffy. “Soak it in the water and place it over his head to cool him down,” he directed as he began to prepare a medicine. The rubber-man did just that, then sat beside his ally.

 

Law opened his eyes and saw stars above him. It was night and only the sound of a fire and the quiet snoring of Rosinante could be heard. The boy turned on his side and stared at Corazon’s back. He clenched his teeth. Law knew that he was being nothing but a nuisance to this man who is sacrificing everything to find him a cure. He could tell that just by him being there causes the man to stress. Law turned away from the sleeping figure and stared at the path leading away from their camp. If he left somewhere to die on his own, he wouldn’t be a bother to Rosinante anymore. Strange, he usually wouldn’t care about those sort of things, but he was dying and Corazon had done so much to try to help him. The least he could do was relieve him of the trouble before his time was up.

Slowly, he sat up and wrapped the blanket around his shoulders. His legs were weak as he had been lying for so long and he felt dizzy. With much struggling, he managed to stand with little balance in his feet. Law gave one last glance towards Rosinante before hobbling away down the path. He used the trunks of the trees to stable himself as he made his way through the forest. It was too dark and he could barely see with the fever clouding his mind. Law took a step but tripped over a root and tumbled down the rest of the path. Injured from the fall and too weak from his sickness, he couldn’t return to his feet and was forced to lie there with a thin blanket around his shoulders. His vision blurred as sleep tried to take over. The last thing Law saw was a familiar figure running towards him and shouting his name.

The next time he awoke it was morning. The smell of smoke from the dying fire was strong and his eyes watered. He coughed loudly, clutching at his chest. A large hand sat him up gently and rubbed his back to ease the pain. His fit subsided and his breathing calmed. Law looked up at Corazon with tired eyes. The man looked torn between being sad and angry. “Why did you try to leave?” he asked quietly. “You can barely sit up on your own and yet you tried to leave by yourself? What were you thinking?”

Law looked away, feeling a bit guilty about making him feel that way. “I didn’t want to cause any more trouble. I’m just a burden to you, I know I am,” he answered in a mutter, eyes showing no emotion. Corazon was taken aback, hurt obvious in his eyes. “You should have just left me, it would have made things easier for you-”

“Don’t talk like that!” Rosinante exclaimed, shaking the child by his shoulders. “You were never a burden to me. I told you that I would find a cure for your illness and I will! You think it would have made things easier if you had died? It wouldn’t have. I would have to live with the burden of guilt, of sorrow. I would be sad if you died, Law. That’s why you have to live! If you don’t want to live for yourself, then live for those who want you to be alive!”

Law stared at him with wide eyes, surprised by his outburst. Then his eyes began to water and he quickly wiped the tears away. Corazon was already a waterfall, his emotions plainly showing as he couldn’t help but cry over the boy. “So please... Please live.”

 

There was a weight on his chest that made it difficult for him to breathe. He grunted and tried to push it off of him to no prevail. Something wrapped around him and held him in place and he fought against the force. “Let go...” he mumbled sleepily. Its grip loosened and the weight was lifted, allowing him to breathe normally again. He opened his eyes slowly, squinting at the light in the room. Luffy and Chopper suddenly came into his view, looming over him. “ _Torao_ , how do you feel?” the reindeer doctor inquired, concern evident.

“Tired,” he answered, raising an arm to rest over his head. “Did I collapse?” Chopper nodded and handed him a bottle of medicine. Law took it without having to be told to and swallowed the contents.

“Your fever has gone down so you should be better as soon as you get some more rest,” Chopper instructed. “It seemed like you were having a lack of sleep.” To be frank, Law hadn’t slept comfortably for a week or two since the incident at Punk Hazard. He should’ve known that that would have affected his health sooner or later. Luffy hadn’t said anything yet and merely continued to stare at his ally. “You should take some more medicine in a few hours after eating something,” the reindeer mentioned as he prepared one more dose for the surgeon.

Luffy turned to Chopper. “Could I stay the night with _Torao_?” he asked, causing Law to blush at the suggestion. The doctor considered it before nodding. “Sure, so long as you don’t cause him too much stress,” he hopped off his chair and waddled to the door. “I’ll be back later with some dinner.” And with that, he left.

Luffy climbed onto the bed beside his ally, forcing the latter to scooch all the way to the other end of the bed. “Why do you want to stay in the infirmary with me? I’m sure your bunk is much more spacious and comfortable,” Law grumbled, hiding his embarrassment.

“I wanted to cuddle with _Torao_!” came the simple response. Luffy wrapped his arms around the surgeon, arranging them so that Law’s face was pressed against his chest. He began to stroke his ally’s hair. “So soft, like feathers.” Law fought against his spreading blush and turned in Luffy’s arms. “What were you dreaming about?” the Straw Hats’ captain asked suddenly. “You were making faces in your sleep.”

“It’s nothing you need to worry about, _Mugiwara_ -ya,” Law assured, still not facing the rubber-man. “It was just a bad dream.” Luffy didn’t seem convinced but decided not to pry. Even he had dreams he didn’t like to talk about, like that time he was eaten alive by a giant piece of meat. The two laid in silence for awhile before Law hesitantly asked a surprising question. “Do you... want me to live?”

Luffy’s eyes widened. Those words reminded him of Ace. He remembered that his brother had asked him the same thing when they were kids. He remembered how he had answered. “Of course!” he said sternly, sitting up to look over Law’s shoulder.

“Why?” the surgeon continued. “Why do you want me to live?”

Luffy contemplated his question. “Hmm....” he hummed. “It’s because I love _Torao_!” Law inhaled sharply, freezing. He raised his hands to cover his face. The rubber-man tilted his head in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Shut up,” Law muttered into his palms. “Just go to sleep.”

Luffy shrugged and laid back down. He didn’t notice how Law’s ears and neck were burning red.


End file.
